


Crystal of the Mist

by Cloudyerd11



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Anxiety, Bruce Banner & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, But It's Popular Tho, Coma, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Mind Control, Mind Games, Mind Manipulation, Missing Persons, Missing in Action, Multi, Multiple Personalities, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Parent Tony Stark, Pepperony - Freeform, SHIELD, Shapeshifting, Stucky - Freeform, more than friends, thanks for reading, trickery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:01:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25161319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cloudyerd11/pseuds/Cloudyerd11
Summary: There's no explanation. None at all. How could there be an explanation when someone who knows all their weaknesses is attacking the Avengers one-by-one. First, it was Bruce, then Thor, and then Natasha (of all people). And worse of all, there's no way to prepare for what will happen next- or more like WHO will be next.Yet despite all the unknowns, one thing is clear...Someone has declared war on the Avengers.
Relationships: Bruce Banner/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Bruce

**Author's Note:**

> To Martin- you are the greatest friend I can ever ask for. You may be a pain sometimes, but you are still my brother and I will love you until the end of time. Know that there is nothing I wouldn't do for you. <3

The night was calm, a fresh welcome to the man walking leisurely down the boardwalk. It had been raining non-stop for the past two days, forcing everyone who didn’t want to bother with the cold to remain indoors. Being stuck inside for that long is difficult and occasionally claustrophobic for even a normal person. But for someone with breath-taking anger management issues, it was almost worse than being stuck in a subway car.

Bruce was thankful he had decided to go for a walk after the rain finally finished falling from the sky this afternoon - the argument between Barton and Thor over a certain hammer’s ability had started to get out of hand - and he certainly wasn’t disappointed. The sky was perfectly clear with no clouds in sight, and even with the bright lights of Manhattan, one could see thousands of stars shimmering with peace.

The scientist continued to walk, enveloping his mind into the environment around him. The smell of Coney Dogs and Funnel Cakes filled his nose, mixing with the permanent aroma of sea salt. A small breeze gently blew on his face, alternating between tugging on his shirt collar and his coat ends. And he sound of the waves thumping against the support beams down below was even more soothing than the sound machine he played at night to help him sleep.

“How are you feeling this even, Dr. Banner? **”** A sudden yet calming automatic voice said in his ear.

“Quite alright, FRIDAY.” Banner turned, stepping off the darkened wood of the boardwalk onto the solitary ash pavement. “How are you?”

A soft robotic chuckle filled his ear. “Well, if I were to guess, I would say content,” the AI replied. “Though I’m not entirely sure since I have no programmed emotions. But thank you for asking.”

“My pleasure.”

“Shall I program a route home for you?”

“Sure. Thank you.”

“My pleasure. It’s quite I nice evening out tonight. Would you like me to use the  _ Bahamas Route _ ?”

Bruce smiled. “Yes please.”

FRIDAY didn’t say another word as she directed him, though he didn’t really need her to anyway. Bruce loved this scenic route home and knew it like the back of his hand. Rather than heading straight and following the blue line home, he would take a left after crossing the east bridge, following a short footpath down to the warehouse docks that lead right up to the river’s edge. When he would get there, he would stand between the third and fourth posts, doing nothing but lean against the metal rail and observe the lights of Manhattan.

“Would you like me to leave you alone now, Dr. Banner?”

“Sure. Thank you FRIDAY.”

“Of course.”

Bruce crossed his arms on the railing, leaning forward as far as was comfortable. The waves beneath him continued their calming number, the only noise for miles. This was his happy place, his  _ peaceful _ place as he liked to call it. He was alone, no one around to bother him. Occasionally there would be a jogger or a date-night couple, but New Yorker social standards generally don’t let any interaction get very far other than looks and  _ heys _ . And there was only the sound of the waves, no cars or sirens or shouting or honking. It’s an impossible place to find in the city that never sleeps; yet he had found it, adopting it instantly.

Tonight was especially calming. The view of the lights and the stars above, the cooling breeze, and even the delight of rare fresh air. Bruce can’t recall when he had ever felt so calm before. He should make plans to come out here after every rainstorm.

_ You know, _ the scientist thought to himself. _ I should bring Natasha here. _

Bruce smiled at the idea, trying to imagine Nat’s reaction to the calm ocean waves reflecting the bright half-light in the sky. Her auburn hair against the silver moonlight; her clear and pale skin contrasting the black water; her green eyes reflecting the twinkle of the stars above.

The man sighed, standing up and putting his hands back in his pockets. It was late, he could tell. He wanted to stay out here forever, but he knew that wasn’t the best option. Staying out late wasn’t his thing, and doing so would raise a few alarms back at the tower.

Bruce turned, continuing with the slow and leisurely stride as before. His mind wandered once more, lost in the feel of everything around him. It wasn’t until he reached the last building that his mind was drawn back to him. He stopped, listening to the drop in his stomach telling him something was off. It wasn’t a feeling he got often, so he had reason to be alarmed.

A faint footstep from behind had him automatically twisted around to investigate, only to come face to face with a strip of metal rebar. 

Pain rocketed through his body, once from the bar and twice when his head hit the pavement. He felt his skull whip back into the ground, the force of him falling backward causing his head to double-hit the stone. Completely dazed with blurry vision, Bruce laid there on the ground. Neither of his arms or legs - or even the Hulk for that matter - were responding.

A blackened, blurry figure entered his vision, giving his eyes something to focus on. The figure wore a black hood and a matching mask that covered its mouth and nose. But between those, Bruce was met with locks of dark red falling onto a pale face and faint green eyes looking down at him.

“Natasha?” He choked out.

Rather than answering, the figure simply put its gloved hand on his forehead. Instantly, the world went back to being blurry before eventually fading into black…

… long before green blood began filling a small test tube.


	2. Avengers Tower

To say Tony was stressed was an understatement- a  _ severe _ understatement.

As-per-normal, he left a  _ very important _ project for his  _ very strict  _ fiance last minute and now he was crunched to the minutes. Luckily he had a science-bro who was more than willing to help him out.

If he could find him.

Tony was now on his eleventh-floor search as he hunted down the gamma doctor. When he didn’t show up in the lab this morning, something began to feel off. Banner never slept late, even on weekends, and he was never ever late to a commitment.

The genius billionaire could have simply asked FRIDAY to find Banner and ask if it was hulk who woke up on the wrong side of the bed instead of him, but Tony figured he could use the break and the steps anyways. But the more times he came up empty, the more he began to get worried along with confusion.

He sighed when he cleared this floor, still with no hint or clue on where Banner could be. He checked the last workroom before the kitchen but had the same result.

Zip, zilch, nada. No green or anxiety in sight.

Sighing once more, Tony set course for the kitchen. As the door swung open, Tony immediately caught sight of one Steve “Captain America” Rogers sitting at the table. He was reading a newspaper - lordy he was old fashioned - while drinking a cup of coffee. He undoubtedly had gotten back from a run earlier this morning, for he was still wearing a tight-fitting shirt that left nothing to the imagination.

Man if Tony wasn’t straight.

“Morning Tony,” said Steve as the kitchen doors closed soundlessly behind Tony.

“Right back at cha, Capsicle.” Tony frowned, looking around the kitchen that was empty except for him and the super-soldier. “Banner hasn’t wandered through here has he?”

“Not that I’ve seen. Isn’t he supposed to be in the lab with you?”

“I haven’t seen him all morning,” Tony swore under his breath, grasping the bridge of his nose. “God, Pepper’s going to kill me if I don’t get this electro-radiated synapse to her by this afternoon.”

“Could he be with the others?”

“Well Barton’s been sleeping in all morning and Nat said she was soloing this morning on behalf of SHIELD. No one else has seen him either.”

“What about Thor?” Steve asked, pausing mid-sip. “He could’ve taken him with him to Asgard.”

“Yea, but I think we would’ve known of any  _ Hulking-Out _ in the past few hours.”

Steve snapped his fingers, pointing at the Billionaire. “Didn’t he go out last night when the rain ended?”

Tony looked at Steve, trying to keep “those” thoughts from filling his mind. “FRIDAY?”

“Dr. Banner turned off his communicator for some alone time last night.”

“FRIDAY, any reports on the Hulk?” Steve asked, standing up from the table.

“No recent evidence or reported sightings of the Hulk.”

Tony and Steve looked at each other, their faces reflecting each other’s worry and thoughts.

“He has never missed a commitment on purpose,” Tony said first, filling the space with his whispered voice.

“Do you think someone got to him before he could  _ Hulk-Out _ ?”

“That’s plausible. In that case, it’ll be even harder to find him.”

“Then we’ll need as much help as possible. I can get the others alerted to the situation.”

“And I can get started on contacting  _ Point-break _ to check outer-worlds to find him…”

“Find who?”

The two brave heroes practically jumped out of their skin, not prepared in the slightest for the sudden interruption. They turned towards the door, where a short and bruised doctor had just entered the room.

“Bruce!” Tony shouted, trying to hide the fact that his heart was still racing from the jump-scare. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“You didn’t come home last night. Are you okay?” Steve asked, focusing on the more important topic at hand.

“Yea,” the doctor sighed. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine…” Tony started, but Steve quickly interrupted.

“What happened to you?”

“I have no idea. I was out for a walk last night, and the next thing I know, I’m waking up in the hospital a few hours ago. When I asked what happened, the nurse told me some stranger had found me by the south docks unconscious and took me there.”

“You don’t remember anything that happened last night?” Tony asked, now concerned.

“Nothing at all.”

“Do you want FRIDAY to do a run down evaluation? She could see if there is anything the hospital might have missed”

“We could go back to where the guy said he found you to see if there’s anything that could help explain all of this,” Steve suggested, looking back and forth between Banner and Tony.

“We also started to get the squad together before you showed up. We could get them in on this too…”

“Tony. Steve,” Bruce interrupted, looking at them with a fatigued smile. “I truly appreciate it you guys - honestly, I really do - but I’ve had a pretty rough morning. I think I’m just going to go back to sleep if you don’t mind. Sorry, Tony. I know you had a project that you needed my help on…”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll find some way to keep Pepper from murdering me.”

Despite the sarcastic joke, Bruce simply nodded, turning back to the door and walking out of the room, leaving the two leaders to look at each other with unease in their faces.

Bruce doesn’t recall the journey from the kitchen to his room, not because his mind was overflowing with thoughts like normal, but simply because his mind was empty. There were no curiosities, no hypotheses, no wonders, no thoughts or ideas. He simply had nothing to think about next to the occasional reminder to raise his foot up a step or to wide-turn the corner to keep from running into the sharp edge.

When the exhausted doctor entered his room, he didn’t even bother turning on the lights. He didn’t care. Not when he stepped on a few sheets of notes he had taken yesterday; not when he stubbed his toe on a chair - which would normally send him into a rage; not even when he missed the bed by a good two inches and barely managed to catch himself. It didn’t even phase him that he “didn’t care” about “not caring”. He just simply didn’t care.

Even his cleverly nicknamed “hulk rage” didn’t care as he successfully collapsed on the bed for the second time, falling asleep instantly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. Here you are! By popular demand and a sudden sense of inspiration, here's the second chapter you all have been waiting for, officially bringing day 3 of my September Challenge to a close.
> 
> In honor of my one year anniversary on AO3, I am posting a new chapter to one of my stories every day. And since I did the math and found out that I have just enough stories to make this work, I will definitely be posting another chapter here in the next few weeks (sorry the last one took so long).
> 
> Please feel free to leave comments, questions, or suggestions for future chapters and stories. I will happily take, answer, and cherish them.
> 
> Thanks for reading everybody! And make sure to keep on smiling :)


	3. Thor

No matter how many years he lives, Thor doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the excitement that comes from using the Bifrost. Even now as an adult he still gets the same bubbly feeling as when he was a kid getting to use the rainbow bridge for the first time. The way the hairs stood up on his arms, the feeling of floating off the ground, the sensation of magic flowing through him.

Thor took in a deep breath, the cool and stale air of the Tower’s landing pad filling his lungs. He hadn’t been gone long - what was equivalent to a little less than a day to Midgard time - but it had still been draining. Not that he didn’t mind wrangling an abnormally large herd of mindless bildshnipe, it was just a simply exhausting task.

So it made sense for the Asgardian to be relieved at the busy noise and constant activity below him, proving to him that he was back and finally able to rest in his comforting home-away-from-home.

His red, silk cape billowed behind him as he maneuvered his way through the Tower’s many hallways. As per his request, his quarters were on the same floor as the launch pad; his argument to Stark had been he didn’t want to disturb the others in the event that he was called to Asgard in the middle of the wee hours, but it was honestly so that he didn’t have to use the stairs or the complicated contraption the others called the elevator. He was also on the same floor as the separate kitchen Stark had put in for both him and Hulk, which was definitely an added bonus. He debated on whether or not to divert to that particular vicinity but ended up deciding against it, his exhaustion outweighing his desire for sustenance.

A memory flashed through his mind, one of a close companion who always had a presence in the back of his mind. He had always teased Loki for his tendencies of choosing to rest rather than eat, never understanding why someone would choose anything over a filling meal. When he was much younger he often assumed that his brother simply held short snacks and treats in his many pockets of magic. But now as an adult who is constantly fighting and protecting, he understands that rest will most often take priority over food.

My, how understanding his brother was becoming now that they were growing older. From a young age, Loki had quickly figured out some of life’s challenges - overcoming those mountains long before they were even remotely in Thor’s sights. He had come up with tricks and tips that most adults couldn’t figure out, using them to his advantage. His ability to think things through with such a short amount of time was astonishing, and his talent for talking his way out of situations thanks to that silver serpent tongue of his had saved both their lives on more than one occasion.

_ Oh Loki _ , Thor thought to himself as he turned yet another corner.  _ How distant you have become from yourself. _

Thor hadn’t heard anything on his brother in more than an Asgardian year, which was roughly about four by Earth standards if he had to guess. There was no knowledge of sightings of him, let alone where he was. His brother could be anywhere in the universe - both known and unknown - if he was even still alive. The God of Lightning had always held an emotional connection to his equal God of Mischief brother, a bond that Thor had always described as a sun burning in both of them. It was thanks to that feeling that Thor had been able to save his brother from death on a few occasions, so Thor knew that even though there had been no signs of Loki, he was still alive wherever he was.

If only that feeling could tell him where his brother wa...

“ _ Brother _ …”

The Asgardian froze midstep, the voice sending shivers down his spine. The calling had been a whisper, but one that Thor was still able to hear. And the voice was cold, the likes of which only one person in the world had. But how could that be?

“ _ Thor…” _

“Loki?” He answered quietly, turning to look at the hall behind him.

_ “Brother, come back. Help me…” _

This wasn’t right. Everything inside Thor was telling him not to listen to the voice, the feeling not responding at all. Loki wasn’t here, he would be able to tell if it was. But Thor could hear his brother’s voice as clear as day.

“You can’t trick me Loki…”

_ “It’s not a trick. Please… help me, brother.” _

Thor's attention turned to the left side of the hall, where another hallway connected with the one he was in. His feet were pulling him towards it before he could command them to do so, his subconscious telling him that the voice was coming from there. He took hesitant steps, an internal war going on inside him. The corner of the hallway passed the side of Thor’s vision, revealing the short, one-way hallway he had passed mear moments before.

There he was, in the flesh. His brother- adopted but related by heart. His normal entitled stance was lopsided, him leaning dangerously to the right. His left arm was crossed across his middle, his finger-less, black-gloved hand stained with a dark color coming from his side. His bright green winter armor and black leather pants were coated with layers of both Aesir red and Jotun blue blood, undoubtedly his own. Though the blood was actively coming from his body, his face seemed to have taken the worst damage, dark bruises painted across his pale skin. There was a small cut on his lip, the blood matching that of the streaks coming from a wound unseen in his hairline.

Upon looking up - sky blue eyes meeting startling green - Loki took a step towards his brother, completely missing and stumbling. In the blink of an eye, Thor was there, catching his brother before he could get close to the ground. His brother was shaking in his arms, his skin far colder than normal. Thor was shocked to find how light his brother was, his small form missing the excess mass he desperately needed.

Loki gripped onto his brother’s arms, something he wouldn’t be caught dead doing in an eon of years. When he rightened himself, he began to stutter, his words incomprehensible through the shivering.

“Brother,” Thor spoke, trying to calm the babbling mess in his arms. “Loki, calm down. You’re alright. Calm yourself and then speak. Don’t overwhelm yourself.”

To his surprise, Loki listened to him, leaning on him as he took deep breaths. Thor could feel the shakes beginning to fall away, relieved to hear the sound of his brother’s teeth chattering fading away.

Thor adjusted the duo, standing his brother in front of him. He held onto Loki’s shoulders, trying to keep his brother as stable as possible. The beaten God did nothing but stare at the floor, still taking deep breaths. From the closer angle, he could see just how many bruises and small cuts invaded his brother’s face, more becoming visible with each passing second.

“What happened to you brother?” Thor questioned, his voice coming out as a whisper.

Loki’s mouth opened and closed a few times, but no words escaped. Thor knew that his brother had a history of sometimes not being able to speak about things that happened to him - especially right after he found out Loki had been mind-controlled into the Attack on New York - so he remained patient, not wanting Loki to hear talking to him.

“Can you tell me about what happened?” Loki gave a motion that seemed like a nod. “Alright. Did someone do this to you? Did they follow you here?”

Loki didn’t answer for a second, his only response coming from the slow shaking of his head a small while later. He still refused to look up from his downward glance.

Thor himself took a deep breath, adjusting his hands on his brother’s shoulders slightly. He looked at his brother intently, his initial shock disappearing and becoming replaced with concern and worry.

“Loki. What happened?”

His brother blinked, taking in a deep breath. He shifted under his brother’s grip, adjusting his sideways tilt and standing up straighter. Loki’s hands returned down to his sides, his right arm no longer resting against his ribs. 

Thor removed his hands, his brow wrinkling. His brother must be trying to regain his image and “dignity”, things he always held true to himself. Only he wasn’t standing like normal. His right foot wasn’t slightly more forward than his left, his knee not bent at a minuscule angle. His head wasn’t tilted slightly to his left, the corners of his eyes not pigeon-toed like they always were. And his hand wasn’t partially closed with the anticipation of holding a scepter, something Thor knew his brother had grown a close accustomed to.

The older brother held his composure, continuing to look into Loki’s eyes while trying not to point out his brother’s flaws. Yet - even if he wanted too - he wasn’t given the chance, for his brother’s eyes changed into completely midnight black before his very own.

Thor reeled away, putting distance between himself and the imposter. This wasn’t his brother. This was someone else - something else entirely. But Thor had been so sure. This  _ was _ his brother. It looked and acted and felt  _ just like him _ . No, it wasn’t. It wasn’t his brother. Couldn’t be… 

Gripping the leather handle in his hands, Thor went into fight position, Mjolnir raised at the ready. Rather than approaching him or attacking him, the black-eyed Loki merely looked down at the weapon, in no way fazed by what he saw. Thor took the risk of tearing his eyes away from the intruder, gazing down at the hammer as well.

There was a small grey orb attached to one of the corners, purple writing in an ancient script written on its face. A  _ rune _ . The attacker had attached an ancient rune to his weapon when he was distracted. But… why? Was it an ability inhibitor? Did it render the weapon useless? Does this attacker not know that Thor still had powers on his own?

Thor was about to mock the attacker when the purple rune letters flashed, magic entering the room to the naked eye. There was a rush of wind behind him, causing him to turn around instinctively. A large purple portal was filling the once empty hall-opening, the runestone on Mjolnir physically pulling him towards it. He turned back around to face the attacker, who hadn’t changed their stance nor eye-line. Thor tried to fight against the current pulling him backward, struggling to get to the attacker, but no amount of force could break the bond of the runestone.

As the entrance to the portal passed around him, Thor looked at the figure with disbelief, betrayal, anger, shock, and finally horror as the figure turned completely black… 

… just before the portal’s mouth closed completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your kind words and comments on the last few chapters. It took me a while to plan this chapter out, but I do already have ideas for the next few so I'll hopefully be updating this shortly.
> 
> Just a little note that I don't know if I should put before the chapter, Loki's appearance is not based on the movies, but the comment "Loki, the one who fell to earth" (or at least I think that's the title). I kept picturing him as Loki when I was planning this, so I felt that it would definitely best in this chapter. AND I ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SUGGEST READING THAT COMIC, IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
> 
> Thanks for reading you guys. You're truly the reason I keep writing these stories. And please, please, please, keep smiling. You just might make someone's day.


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